one big, bitter-sweet, satisfying gulp

Serialized, Popcorn Science-Fiction

“Marco’s always saying you choose how to see the world. That you can look at what’s funny and cool, or you can focus on all the things that aren’t.

So I tried to follow Marco’s advice. I tried to turn my dreams to Cassie.

But even looking into her eyes, I still saw that doomed Howler falling.”

Excerpt from Animorphs #26

Someone once thought that the only reason I even liked Animorphs was because there was a character named “Marco” in the series. Pssh. Idiots. It was because there was a dude in there that could change into a tiger at will.

The natural world always fascinated me. Biology or zoology were at the core of almost all my projects or creativity. When I was a little boy, I loved tigers so much I made a small book of tiger facts and stats out of stapled printer paper. I drew all the illustrations in that book and my facts were accurate because I referenced zoological books from my elementary school library. The only books I checked out were books on animals, because everything else was just so boring. Stories about adventure, mystery, ghosts, or fantasy? Sorry, but I’d rather find out the average length, from nose to tail, of a female Sumatran tiger. My interests and hobbies were very specific and I was ok with that.

Whenever Scholastic Books hosted its seasonal book fairs in our school library, and turned it into a mini B. Dalton’s, it was just another opportunity to feed my eccentric tastes. When I was in the fourth grade, I walked into one book fair with a couple of bucks, ready to buy the latest coloring set or “How-To Animals” book. But right next to the ‘How-To’ section book there was some book with a picture of some dude with his face half-human and half-tiger. My interest was piqued. The Universe is well aware that I’m very susceptible to collecting things, and it used this knowledge of one of my most dangerous habits against me. The book with the tiger-dude on the cover was part of a series of books that I collect, and the impulsive buyer in me drained my two-weeks savings in an instant. I purchased Megamorphs #1, and books #1 and #2 from the main Animorphs series.

I'm a closet furry.

Animorphs is a book series from the late 90s about pre-teens gaining the ability to morph into animals they come in contact with in order to fight off an alien invasion. The premise is outlandish and whenever I bring the books up to friends today, they laugh their asses off and I’m called a dumbass for remembering the series fondly. Well, yeah, the book did require a pretty big leap of faith and logic to dive into, but underneath the intense amounts of fantastical sci-fi, there was a very realistic portrayal of what war can do to people and their relationships with friends and family. The characters were distinct and well thought-out, and I almost felt like I learned about life from some of the better books in the series. (Note: Let’s be real. The series had its fair share of stinkers.)

My experience with the series was an educational one. Before I read the book, I did not know that almost all ants are blind, or that sentience is subjective, or that human advancements in technology over the last century have advanced well beyond our capacity to handle it all. Alien characters that were supposed to be evil and nihilistic could be endearing, good guys could lose their cool and do very bad things, and an easy solution is not always around the corner. But I think the most important gift the books gave me was an appreciation for books in general.

Chronicles Books

I used to hate reading with a passion. Anything involved with reading would put me to sleep, and reading for school was definitely out of the question. But sitting down and focusing all of my attention on a story that mattered to me really expanded my interests to the edge of my perceptions. I was willing to read more books that were not picture safaris of Africa.

So with the Animorphs books I still have left, I’m giving them all away to the right people. I did my research and found a couple of fan communities that still love the series. I also found a youtube channel that is reviewing the books chronologically and definitely triggered a nostalgia rush for me. The plan is to offer up the books to these groups and whoever wants them can pay for the shipping. It’s simple and it’s direct. I’ve already found interested parties, and I can’t wait to send my babies to a better place.

It’s warm and tingly to know that there are fans out there that see the same beauty in the books that I did as a child. Or maybe they see something else? But either way, I’d love to keep the chain going. Maybe I’m indirectly inspiring someone else to read? Literature is the nearest thing we have to a shared memory, and if I learned anything from the Iskoort species of Animorphs #26, it’s that the value of memories is incalculable. It all depends on how you choose to see them or the world they come from.

2 Responses

I was an Astronomy buff when I was youger; I’d always get the Universe/Solar-System books from the library and/or Scholastic. I still have a few – I’ll probably give them away or find some ‘constructive’ use for them.

No lie, this blog is fantastic and is making me fill up my “give-away” basket even faster.

– Cameron

[Btw, you posted this post right as I was commenting on your video game one. lol]